Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Addiction

"The PR lawmakers suggested the Najib administration take a more holistic approach to cut its burgeoning subsidy bill through a total restructuring of the system by reducing subsidies to corporate giants instead of to the poor, implementing a minimum wage council to boost salaries, and providing better public transportation system to reduce dependency on vehicle ownership and fuel consumption.

He also complained that the administration was going about the removal of its subsidy plan in the wrong way by cutting from the poor man on the street and yet at the same time, still providing massive subsidies to big corporate giants"

“No one disputes that subsidies distort the economy but the issue is that in Malaysia, massive corporate giants like the IPPs, the toll concessionaires, continue to enjoy generous subsidies worth billions of ringgit more than the smaller things like sugar, flour and rice.

“The fact that we are facing a deficit budget now should not be blamed on the people, it is the fault of the government and its failure to implement strategies to encourage a dynamic growth in the economy.

“The people are suffering from high inflation, no minimum wage, the prices of properties ballooning... so why burden the public instead of the corporate sector,”

2 comments:

IPPs should operate without any subsidy. They should compete among themselves to offer their best to National Grid (namely TNB's Transmission & Distribution who should operate more like utility body rather than commercial body). There must a certain ceiling price, otherwise TNB (namely Generation) will step in to become power producers replacing IPPs, much like we had LLN before.

Subsidy can be given to this National Grid in order to subsidized the target group, namely households and certain industries who produce staple goods.

Fuel prices should be dictated by market, but all tolls must also be done away. No more 'seludup minyak' incidents. Car prices must be reasonable. Roadtax must be looked into for more reduction. Public transportation must be improved much from its current sorry state.

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*****I slept and dreamt thatlife is joyI woke and sawlife is dutyI acted and beholdduty is joy

- Rabindranath Tagore

*****

I asked for Strength…And God gave me DifficultiesI asked for Wisdom…And God gave me ProblemsI asked for Prosperity…And God gave me Brain and BrawnI asked for Courage…And God gave me DangerI asked for Love…And God gave me Troubled peopleI asked for Favours…And God gave me Opportunities

I received nothing.I received everything.

- Author unknown

If – Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you;If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;If you can meet with triumph and disasterAnd treat those two imposters just the same;If you can bear to hear the truth you've spokenTwisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winningsAnd risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,And lose, and start again at your beginningsAnd never breath a word about your loss;If you can force your heart and nerve and sinewTo serve your turn long after they are gone,And so hold on when there is nothing in youExcept the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;If all men count with you, but none too much;If you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds' worth of distance run -Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!